Artist: SoSaLa
Title: 1993
Formats: CD and digital
Cat.#: DBDCD003
Label: DooBeeDoo Rec
Genre: NO WAVE
Stream and purchase CD here: https://sosala.hearnow.com/1993
Album Review by Dawoud Kringle
Retrospectives are a double edged sword. They threaten to over-glorify a past that is gone and will never return. At the same time, they perform an essential service by providing something many people sorely lack: historical perspective (not to mention preserving music that needs to be preserved). Especially in a retrospective recording which looks back to a time when music was made at a special time and with special musicians.
Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi – a.k.a. SoSaLa – is a unique musician. As a saxophonist, founder and leader of the ensemble SoSaLa, publisher, founder and president of Musicians For Musicians (MFM), Kendo master, and producer, he has an impressive resume. This is a golden opportunity to look into the man’s musical past, and gain a valuable perspective on his present and future.
The album features SoSaLa on soprano saxophone, organ, flute, and vocals. It’s interesting to note that he did not play tenor saxophone on this recording, and this is the only recording of him playing organ.
He is joined by Mark C (of Live Skull, Fuse, Spoiler and Int’l Shades, and owner and operator of Deepsea Studios in Hoboken, NJ) on guitar, Toshimaru Nakamura (electronic music producer, formerly of SADATO and Paragon of Beauty) on guitar, David Motamed (formerly with Arthur Lee and Townes Van Zandt) on bass, James Lo (composer and sound designer, formerly with Live Skull and Chavez) on drums, and Peter Gordon (composer, producer, formerly with Love of Life Orchestra, Arthur Russell, Rhys Chatham, Jill Kroesen) on tenor saxophone and jaw harp.
The album’s opening track, “Vor Geschlossener Tür” (German for “In Front of a Closed Door.”) represents a period of boredom, loneliness, and intense frustration when SoSaLa was living in Tokyo. The music recreates this emotional mindset perfectly by luring the listener in with dissonant chords Ladjevardi stabs on the organ and exploring his Marshall Allan-like multiphonics on the saxophone. This is complemented by Mark C and Nakamura’s guitar work.
The next offering, “I’m Blind” (SoSaLa’s expression of dismay for apathetic people), hits the listener like a left jab from Mike Tyson. The relentless energy and jagged harmonies battle for domination. And just as it becomes too intense, it slows down, allowing the listener a brief reprieve before gaining momentum and finishing itself off with brooding chords on the organ.
“Dadada Dadada Daaa” is my personal favorite on this album. It begins with the promise of an actual song, and in a defiant way, keeps that promise. The entire band was on point in this track, and SoSaLa’s saxophone work is truly exceptional. Although both guitarists are experimental, exploratory, and sometimes rambunctious, Mark C takes a mostly rhythmic / choral approach, freeing up Nakamura to assume a more melodic role in his guitar work. This is an instrumental track that SoSaLa said is inspired by his love of Dadaism.
The instrumental “Von Deiner Tur” takes this aggression of the previous track into a different direction. Peter Gordon’s work on the tenor saxophone shows a marked contrast to SoSaLa’s approach to the saxophone. He seems to be a bit cautious in his melodic exploration until he finds his territory in the context of the music, as opposed to SoSaLa forcefully making his way into the music, and putting the other musicians into a position to adapt to his lead. Although an instrumental track, SoSaLa once again uses a metaphor of a closed door to tell the story of a fictitious person he wants to meet, but cannot.
This leads up to “So What” (not the Miles Davis classic). The guitars cut like broken glass. SoSaLa’s saxophone work melds perfectly with the guitar lead lines, and his own chanting / shouting the title like a mantra. It’s not clear what message he’s trying to convey, but at the same time it’s impossible to ignore. The track ends in an irredeemable chaos.
“You Want To Be A Sex Star” expresses SoSaLa’s distaste of how human sexuality is cheapened and degenerated in modern society. There are no drums on this; the guitars crunch, slash, and smash, never creating anything like a song structure, while SoSaLa lectures his way through this trail of destruction. His brief flute solo provides an ironic contrast to this sonic melange.
“Omar Khayyam in New York” starts with a vocalization reminiscent of Indian tala. It is taken over by driving punk guitar chords, Motamed’s John Entwistle-like bass lines, and no drums. This, combined with Ladjevardi’s combination of flute and vocalizing / spoken word examines the album’s no-wave / free jazz aesthetic from an unexpected perspective. As on “You Want To Be A Sex Star,” his flute solo has a marvelous lyrical quality to it, and ends too soon for my liking.
The album ends with “Khodahafez (Good Bye).” The lyrics of this track (in English, German, Japanese, and Farsi) are, according to SoSaLa, an attempted metaphor for dismissing people who are too passive and indecisive to face the realities of the world. Nakamura’s guitar work is quite inventive on this track, with Mark C complimenting him with a more chordal response. Lo’s drumming is exceptional. Peter Gordon’s jaw harp, unfortunately, is difficult to find in the almost out of control powerhouse.
The music on this album masterfully blends and enhances every element that it draws from; mainly post – No Wave and free / harmolodic jazz. The succinct song structures provide a perfect foil for his masterful improvisations. They never waste time or musical energy. and never fall into the trap many improvising musicians do by becoming insufferably self-indulgent.
As a producer and bandleader, SoSaLa clearly knows how to bring out the best in those he works with. Nakamura and Mark C provide an endless inventiveness. They compliment each other perfectly, and Ladjevardi’s production decision to pan them hard to seperate channels gives them plenty of room to explore their sonic territories without clashing. Throughout, James Lo’s drumming is hard-hitting, relentless, and very effective in how it creates a rhythmic drive for the music. Motamed’s work on the bass is marvelous. His groove and melodicism provides a framework to hold the music’s delicious chaos together.
SoSaLa’s saxophone work is superlative. Listening to any of his recordings, it’s no mystery why his mentor Ornette Coleman once described as “the freest rock saxophonist.” While it’s obvious he comes from a free jazz tradition and sensibility, he has his own unique approach that stands apart from others. In fact, the free jazz aesthetic and the punk / no-wave attitude of loud defiance are obviously interlinked in his mind. His work on the flute and organ on this recording were a refreshing surprise (I’d like to hear more of him experimenting with other instruments; his ingenuity is marvelous).
The production is first rate. The sound quality is free of the kind of grittiness that much No Wave (or any post punk subgenres) has.
This is the only SoSaLa recording to feature spoken word performances in four languages (English, German, Japanese, and Farsi). It is clear that this multi linguistic perspective adds a dimension to his thinking. With this in mind, we get a glimpse into the spoken word performances throughout this collection. SoSaLa’s vocals / spoken word performances, while conceptually ingenious, are not the work of a singer or poet. The vocals must be interpreted as performance art. Here is perhaps the most idiosyncratic element of SoSaLa’s music. Some may find his absolute unfiltered and fearless candor to be a bit overwhelming. But it is always honest and never done without sincerity. And we find the theme of social alienation running throughout much of his work. The sole expression of romantic idealism and exception to his didactics is found in “Omar Khayyam in New York.” Here, he lovingly extrapolates how the polymath / poet of Persia’s classical age would fare in modern New York City.
This collection is essential for any admirer of SoSaLa. It conveys and embodies a perfect balance between the seasoning of aged experience and the restless energy and rage of youth. The music is as fresh and innovative now as it was when it was recorded 30 years ago.
